Coalville Tabernacle 1 story, 1971 February 14

Item — video: 11

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

History of LDS pioneer tabernacle to be torn down. 01:30.

Louise Degn's note: I love old buildings. In fact, I quit KSL in Septmebr of 1980 to study restoration architecture for 18 months, so when I was alerted to the story by a newspaper article, I was eager to do a feature story and get a first-hand look at the Coalville Tabernacle. Five days later, the story erupted with public demonstrations and a legal challenge. It was the first time, I recall, that the LDS church was challenged publicly in this way by its own members. The prevailing ethic of the time was to tear old buildings down and build modern ones. Coalville was not the only tabernacle torn down. Utah restoration architect Alan Roberts made an inventory in 1974 of pioneer Mormon tabernacles and found that of 43 buildings, 22 had been demolished and 21 remained, most of which had been renovated. It seems that this story was an example of the LDS church not knowing how to handle public relations. The Church saw its communication lines as moving through Priesthood channels rather than through the public media. Criticism was thought of as "challenging truth" and leaders had little experience answering questions in a public forum. The next LDS church president, Spencer W. Kimball, tried to extend himself to the media, though he was never comfortable doing so. The LDS church truly mastered public relations under President Gordon B. Hinkley during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. For further reading, see Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Vol. V, No. 4/Winter 1970. I wrote the second of the three articles as "Anonymous" as I was still employed at KSL at the time. Original script available.

Dates

1971 February 14

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